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You would think Opie the mayor would have police at the busiest intersections directing traffic? Certainley don’t need that many police on the city of Pittsburgh streets, crime will be down with the NRA in town. Every other person is carrying a firearm. NRA for life!!!

I grew in Pittsburgh, and recognized some of the scenes in Homewood from Rachel’s interview with the councilman. The church I grew up in is in Homewood, and some of the kids that I came up with are in Prison or Dead. I’m also 17 year veteran of the US Military serving with both the Marine Corp and the US Navy. I am a 2nd Amendment Advocate and understand the original intent of the 2nd Amendment and how it has changed for better and worse. The problem is economic incentives and good public policy seem to be mutually exclusive ends. People in Pennsyltucky (rural PA) can’t understand the violence that is poor gun laws create in poor urban areas, those poor in areas like Homewood, the hill District and other places in Pittsburgh don’t have the political capital to make a difference. It is true disenfranchisement. The answer is to leave and seek something else, but in doing that its no longer my problem. One of my best friends from Taylor Allderdice High School, got shot and killed on Negley Avenue in Squirrel Hill back in 2004. He was mugged, and resisted because he didn’t want to give up his bag full of his art work. The tragedy in this event is that it made the news, not because this young, black, gay man died, but because he died in Squirrel Hill. A nice neighborhood with rich people. Death like that occurs almost daily in Homewood and gets no news coverage. It seems that your life is less valuable based on your zip code.

I appreciate the light that you have shown on this issue Rachel, but I know and accept that it won’t make a difference. The economics of the MP5 carry too much weight to change people’s perspective and create common sense gun laws. This really isn’t what the founding fathers had in mind to ensure the people remained free of tyranny, but it is what we have….